Congressman Dent's opposition to Obamacare riles town hall crowd

His statement that law is 'fatally flawed' sparks outburst in Allentown.

August 21, 2013|By Colby Itkowitz, Call Washington Bureau

An otherwise civil and respectful town hall Wednesday night in Allentown had a few tense minutes early on, when the crowd shouted over U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent as he tried to explain his opposition to Obamacare.

Dent, a Republican, had just disappointed two tea party Republicans who asked him about shutting down the government if the health care law isn't defunded. The Lehigh Valley's fifth-term congressman affirmed his disdain for President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement but said he doesn't think that approach would be effective.

"I agree this health care law is fatally flawed," Dent said.

People in the crowd at the Jewish Community Center yelled over him and one another in disagreement as Dent attempted to list GOP talking points against the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

"It's raising costs," Dent said.

"What does that mean?" a woman yelled.

"How do you know that?" another woman screamed from the back.

"The health care law is raising costs, it is harming job creation, it is disrupting coverages and it is stifling innovation," Dent said over their protests.

"What about New York? Premiums are down 50 percent," a man yelled, referring to New York regulators' report that insurance coverage under the health care law will cost half of what it does now.

"New York has no individual market to speak of. It's already ruined," Dent said, raising his voice to be heard.

Once the crowd quieted, Dent explained that "the tactic [to defund the law] doesn't get you to the goal or the outcome you desire." No matter what Congress does, he said, the president will find a way to pay for the law.

The defund-Obamacare movement, led by conservative Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, has been a preeminent topic at congressional town halls across the country.

Many Republicans share Dent's position, including U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. He has not signed on to a letter circulating in the Senate that asks lawmakers to support shutting down the government if Obamacare funding isn't stripped from the budget.

At least one tea party Republican in the crowd was disenchanted by Dent's unwillingness to take a harder line against Obamacare. Bryan Eichfeld, 54, of Hellertown said the looming budget fight this fall presents an opportunity to stop the health care law.

Though he voted for Dent in 2012, he said he hated to admit it. In his view, Dent is too moderate.

But others in the crowd, mostly Democrats, showered Dent with accolades for taking moderate stances in a deeply divided Congress. Throughout the town hall, Dent took the middle ground on issues such as immigration and guns, which pleased more Democrats in the crowd than Republicans.

Congress' approval is at all-time lows, and this year it has passed the least amount of laws than at any time in history. But Dent's approval remains strong, and he won his re-election in 2012 handily. This year he joined the bipartisan group No Labels that aims to cut through the partisan rancor.

Lori McFarland, a teacher in Allentown and registered Democrat, implored Dent to stand up to the fringe in his party, offering a bit of levity to the serious discussion.

"You're very popular, you're very handsome," she said to laughter. "You're not going to lose your seat. Continue to come to the table, be reasonable, turn Fox News off."

Dent took questions for an hour longer than scheduled, staying for two hours of continuous back-and-forth with more than 100 people, including tea party activists and Obama foot soldiers. The town hall was the seventh public forum he's held this year, and the third in the Lehigh Valley. His 15th District was redrawn in 2012 to include areas west of Lehigh County.

Earlier in the day, 43 gun control activists gathered outside Dent's Allentown office to press him to sign on as a co-sponsor to a background checks bill in the House, the counterpart to the measure written by Toomey and West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin that would have extended background checks to private sales at gun shows and online.

The issue came up near the end of the meeting when Justine Wesnek, 75, of Schnecksville, a registered Republican — though she noted she no longer shares her party's philosophies — asked Dent what is holding up the bill's passage and whether he'd sign on as a co-sponsor.

Dent said he supported what Toomey tried to do, but that he expected the language to change and was withholding his co-sponsorship until there is a final version. Dent predicted that Congress would re-tweak the background checks bill and bring it up again in 2014, and he all but promised his support.

Ed DeGrace, 59, a Democrat from Allentown, raised the issue of immigration, which came up several times throughout the evening. DeGrace asked why Republicans insist on strengthening border security as a precursor to passing a comprehensive immigration bill.

Dent said he supports finding a way to allow immigrant children brought here illegally to stay in America and to find a way for people who came to the country legally but have overstayed their visas to remain here. Still, he agrees with his Republican colleagues that border security isn't yet where it needs to be.

"Most people overwhelmingly … came here because they were escaping persecution or looking for economic opportunities, or both," Dent said. "Most of the immigrants are coming here, both legal and illegal, are trying to come here for a better life."